Chapter 7: The Uncle Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
I read the email again.
Then I read it a third time.
“Thomas is alive?””
Daniel removed his glasses.
“Apparently.””
“My mother told me he died in a boating accident.””
“When?””
“When I was seventeen.””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Your father never told me that story.””
I walked to the bookshelf.
There was an old family photograph tucked between two novels.
My father stood in the middle, wearing a cream-colored sweater. My mother stood beside him. A younger man stood on the other side, with the same dark eyes as my father.
Thomas.
I remembered him teaching me how to ride a bicycle.
I remembered him bringing me strawberry ice cream when I cried after my first school performance.
And I remembered the empty chair at my eighteenth birthday party.
My mother had said he was gone.
She had said it so often that eventually I stopped asking.
“Can we contact him?”” I asked.
Daniel nodded.
“I already have.””
“And?””
“He wants to see you.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“Where?””
“At his home. Tomorrow morning.””
That night, I barely slept.
At 7:30 the following morning, Daniel picked me up.
We drove for nearly an hour before reaching a quiet coastal town outside the city.
The house stood behind a low stone wall, surrounded by old oak trees.
A silver car was parked in the driveway.
Daniel rang the bell.
The door opened almost immediately.
A man in his late sixties stood there.
His hair was completely gray now, but his eyes were unmistakable.
He looked at me.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered, “Denise?””
I nodded.
His face crumpled.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
He pulled me into his arms.
I hadn't been hugged like that in years.
Not with both arms.
Not without someone checking their phone or watching the clock.
He smelled of cedarwood and coffee.
I began crying before I could stop myself.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
“I'm so sorry.””
I stepped back.
“Why did Mom tell me you were dead?””
Thomas looked toward Daniel.
“Come inside.””
We sat in a small living room overlooking the garden.
A kettle whistled in the kitchen.
Thomas placed three cups of tea on the table.
Then he opened a drawer and removed an old leather notebook.
My father's notebook.
The same one Vanessa had photographed.
I stared at it.
“Where did you get that?””
“Your father gave it to me two days before he died.””
“Why?””
Thomas rubbed the worn leather cover.
“Because he knew something was wrong.””
He opened the notebook.
Inside were handwritten entries, dates, company names, and several pages of financial calculations.
“Your father discovered that Eleanor had been transferring information about Westbridge to Richard Cole,” Thomas said.
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What kind of information?””
“Property valuations. Acquisition plans. Private investor details.””
“Why would she do that?””
“Money.””
Thomas turned a page.
“Richard had been helping her establish a private investment account. They planned to use confidential company information to make profits through outside investments.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Did Marcus know?””
Thomas nodded.
“He came into the picture later. Eleanor introduced him to Richard. They believed Marcus could eventually gain control of Westbridge through his marriage to you.””
I stared at him.
“So my mother introduced me to Marcus because of the company?””
Thomas didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, “I believe she did.””
The room seemed to grow smaller.
I remembered our wedding.
My mother had cried during the vows.
She had told me I looked beautiful.
She had kissed my cheek and whispered, You've made a wonderful choice.
Had she been celebrating my marriage?
Or the business arrangement she thought it would become?
Thomas opened the notebook again.
“Your father confronted them. He wanted to report the financial misconduct.””
“What happened?””
“He died before he could.””
I looked at the photograph on the mantel.
“Are you saying they killed him?””
Thomas shook his head.
“I don't have proof of that. Your father had a heart condition. But the circumstances surrounding his final days were strange.””
“What circumstances?””
“Three days before he died, he called me. He said Eleanor had found out about the Blackwood documents. He told me to keep the original notebook safe.””
Thomas looked down.
“The following morning, I was involved in a car accident.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“My brakes failed on a country road. I survived, but I spent weeks in hospital.””
“Why didn't you contact me?””
“Because when I woke up, Eleanor had already told the family I was dead. And someone had sent me a message threatening to hurt you if I returned.””
I felt sick.
“Who sent it?””
Thomas turned the notebook toward me.
A small folded paper was tucked into the back cover.
He removed it.
The note was typed.
Stay away from Denise. If you return, she will pay for your mistake.
There was no signature.
But beneath the note was a date.
The day after my father's death.
Daniel examined it carefully.
“Have you ever shown this to anyone?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because I didn't know who I could trust.””
I looked at my uncle.
“Why tell me now?””
He held my gaze.
“Because Marcus is making the same mistake Eleanor made. He thinks your father's company is something he can take if he gets the right people to sign the right papers.””
Thomas closed the notebook.
“But he doesn't understand what your father left inside Blackwood.””
“What?””
Thomas stood and walked toward a cabinet.
He returned carrying a small metal box.
It was old, with a brass lock.
“Your father gave me this the night before his death. He told me never to open it unless you were in danger of losing everything.””
I stared at the box.
“What's inside?””
Thomas placed it on the table.
“The original succession documents. And something else.””
He inserted a small key.
The lock clicked.
Inside lay a USB drive, several photographs, and a sealed envelope bearing my name.
I picked up the envelope.
My father's handwriting.
For Denise, when the truth can no longer be hidden.
I opened it.
The first sentence made my breath catch.
My darling girl, if Marcus has reached the point of trying to take Westbridge, then I fear your mother has already told him the one secret that could destroy everything.
I looked at Thomas.
“What secret?””
He pointed to the USB drive.
“Your father recorded a video.””
Daniel connected the drive to his laptop.
A file appeared.
*DENISE_FINAL_WARNING.mp4*
I pressed play.
My father's face filled the screen.
He looked tired.
His voice was softer than I remembered.
“Denise, if you're watching this, I need you to understand something. The most dangerous person in your life may not be the person who stands against you.””
He paused.
Then he looked directly into the camera.
“It may be the person who knows exactly how to make you trust them.””
The video ended.
A second file appeared automatically.
Its title was:
*ELEANOR_CONFESSION.mp4*
I stared at it.
Daniel slowly turned toward me.
“Your mother knew your father had recorded this.””
And before I could ask another question, my phone began ringing.
It was Marcus.
I answered.
His voice was cold.
“Denise, whatever Thomas has told you, don't believe it.””
I looked at the open metal box.
“How did you know I was here?””
May you like
He laughed quietly.
“Because your mother is on her way to stop you.””
